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Goodbye to a Good Man & we salute ‘The Whirlwind’Welcome to the October issue of Snookered magazine.

In this issue we welcome AZ Bil-liards to our list of cuesport friends with a look ‘Stateside’. We also of-fer a tribute to Peter Hawley, who sadly passed away last month.

Lastly, Jimmy White joins our ‘Best of the Best’. Jimmy is a true legend of the game and a valued member of the Snookered team.

PublisherChris Haillchris@snookered-cci.com07786 950350

DesignerJamie Carrjamie_carr91@hotmail.co.uk

ContributorsStephen Kentwww.maximumsnooker.com

Jimmy Whitewww.jimmywhirlwindwhite.com

Michaela Tabbwww.michaelatabb.com

Photo supplied by Monique Limbosmfb529518@skynet.be

George Spiteriwww.spiteriphoto.com

D&C Media LtdOffice number – 0208 8860858Co. Reg. No. – 07265503

Website : www.snookered-cci.com

These boys don’T need a bus pass!

Keep on TrucKin!

‘sTaTeside’alrighT Jim!

chaT wiTh michaela

improve wiTh pJ

A preview to the 2nd World Sen-iors Championships.

Behind the scenes with the EPBF.

Welcome to another US partner AZ Billiards. Mike Howerton gives us his look at the US pool scene.

A tribute to Jimmy White in our ‘Best of the Best’ series.

We talk snooker in Brazil and pool in the Philippines.

PJ Nolan shows us how to improve your game.

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CONTENTS

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We hope you enjoy the issue. In November we have an exclusive interview with one of the all time greats of Pool, but you’ll have to wait for that next month.

ThanksChris HaillPublisher

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The United States Snooker Association (USSA), established in 1991 in Chicago, Illinois, is the non-profit governing body for the sport of snooker in the USA as recognized by the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF), the world governing body of non-professional snooker. Now headquartered in San-ta Clara, California, the USSA is pleased to announce an expanded 2011-2012 edition of the popular “USSA National Snooker Tour.”

Each event is open to any individual player except for professional snooker players competing on the World Snooker Main Tour, however players must be a member of their respective national snooker governing body or alternatively non US-play-ers can become an associate member of the USSA for a $25 annual membership fee. The 2011-2012 USSA National Snooker Tour is proud to be sponsored by the world’s leading billiard ball manufacturer and its sets of Aramith Tournament Cham-pion Snooker Balls are supplied for each event.

Following on from the news that Kevin Barton has been elected as new Chairman of the IPA (International Pro-fessional Pool Players Association). Snookered maga-zine comments on the future and highlights Kevin’s vi-sion’s for the future;

At a historic IPA EGM on Saturday 1st October, Kevin Barton was elected as the new Chairman of the IPA. At the EGM, the members elected a new committee, which comprises of:

• Vice Chair – Moray Dolan• Treasurer – Stephen Munro• Secretary – Carl Morris• Committee – Mick Hill• Committee – Rob Chilton• Committee – Andy MacDonald

There is an excellent mix of talents on the committee, which will help the Association move forward. What is the vision of Kevin and the IPA?

This change in organisation has bought its own set of problems. For 2012, we have been left with no venues, no events, no dates, and no table suppliers except their greatest asset, the players!

It seems Kevin and the new committee have already decided standing still is not the way forward and there are 3 main areas they have chosen to focus on:

• Governance• Technology• Professionalism

Governance – The IPA will ensure that the correct procedures are in place so that any one person can never retain such control over the association. There will be clear transparency in all transactions, and their aim is to rebuild the trust between the committee and its members.

Technology – To utilise the website to its full capacity, improve the quality of streaming, and to use appropri-ate communication methods in a twenty first century environment.

Professionalism – To become a truly respected and valued association that the members are proud to be in-volved with, that is also viewed positively externally, and to deliver a product that is viewed as professional, so as to encourage growth in future membership.

They have a big job on their hands but with good communication and making sure the above is carried out. The sport can only go one way which is forward.

Pool has a place in the sporting world and a target audience which will attract sponsors and television if man-aged properly.

Snookered magazine for one wishes Kevin and the IPA all the best.

Here we go AgAinTickets for the 2012 World Snooker Champion-ships are now on sale.

Will John Higgins retain his title? Will ‘The Rocket’ find form or will we see a new name on the trophy?

For more details go to http://www.worldsnook-er.com/page/TicketHome

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NEWS

A new era

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COMPETITION

Version 1.1October 2010

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THE LOGO

The PowerGlide logo is to be used in one line wherever possible, but in extreme circumstances the PowerGlide name can be split into two words but must always be shown centred and line spaced only as shown. These two variations give the brand fl exibility and allow the PowerGlide logo to have maximum impact in all areas of the brand’s application.

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THE LION MOTIF

The PowerGlide lion motif is a pictorial device to enhance the recognition of the PowerGlide brand and should be used as a complement to the PowerGlide logo but NOT as a substitute for it. It is to be used on product graphics, packaging design and point of sale material only and NOT on corporate literature as it is not a registered trademark.When used in conjunction with eachother, the PowerGlide logo and lion motif MUST be in the same colour.For usage below 40mm wide overall use the simplifi ed version to avoid infi ll at reproduction.

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PowerGlide Cues are offering 4 snooker fans the opportunity to attend a coaching session with snooker legend John Parrott in York on Friday 9th December during the UK Open.

The 4 lucky winners will each receive: Coach-ing by John Parrot at the Castle Snooker Club, a lunch hosted by John Parrott and a top of the range PowerGlide Axas snooker cue with an At-tache case. You must be available to attend in York on the 9th December 2011. To enter, simply answer the following question and complete a simple sentence

Which year did John Parrott win The Embassy World Championship?

1989, 1991 or 1993

Win a Coaching Session with John Parrott

To enter the competition, click on the link below and follow the instructions

http://www.powerglide-cues.com/competi-tion/

5 & 6 November 2011The Atrium

East of England Showground Peterborough

Winning still matters

Calls cost 10p per minute from a BT landline plus network charges. Players appear circumstances permitting

Book now: worldsnooker.com/tickets or Tel: 0871 620 7052

0083_WS_WSSC A4 Ad.indd 1 3/10/11 14:13:57

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Jimmy White the People’s Champion, has won the hearts of the old and young the world over.

His fast and entertaining game play was considered to be before its time in the sport. Bringing fun, passion and serious skill to the table was what created a buzz around Jimmy; not to mention his cheeky chappy attitude, which made him a star.

Jimmy was not very academic so he skipped school on regular occasions to play snooker at his local club, Ted Zanicelli. It was at this time White met Tony Meo, the pair would take part in money matches at various locations. It was these matches that led to a very successful amateur ca-reer and one that lead to the enter-taining snooker player he has been for the past 31 years.

Since those early days Jimmy has secured himself 23 professional titles and 10 ranking titles, along with the hearts of every snooker fan across the world. Although the one title Jimmy has wanted for many years has remained out of his grasp.

The World Championships has been the theatre of all of White’s snooker disappointments; the Crucible has not so much been the theatre of dreams for Jimmy, more the thea-tre of nightmares. In 1982 he led Alex Higgins 15-14 in the semi final and was 59-0 up in the penultimate frame, he was as close to the final as just one red and a colour. He missed the red using the rest and then had to watch Higgins; complete a frame winning 69 meaning his chance in the final would have to wait another year.

‘Jimmy is a true legend of sport and a people’s champion if ever there was one. His love of the game shines through and his enthusiasm for snooker is as strong as when he turned pro 31 years ago.’ Barry Hearn said on the subject of Jimmy.

In 1984 after winning the Masters Jimmy found himself in his first World Championship final, he met Steve Davis in the final and was trail-ing by 4-12, after two sessions but found second life and reduced the deficit to 15-16. After an aggressive break of 65 he took the score to 16-17, but once again he was unable to come back from Davis’ 40 point lead and ended up losing 16-18. He did however win the World Doubles with Alex Higgins later that year.

‘The Whirlwind’s immense talent has withstood the test of time. He accepts winning and losing with the same attitude, a true pro.’ Steve Da-vis added to thoughts of his friend.

‘Jimmy has always been a great support to me, from day one of my career. He is a lovely guy and great snooker player, really the nicest per-son you could ever meet, I love him to bits.’ Michaela Tabb said fondly of Jimmy

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BEST OF THE BEST

James Warren White, or Jimmy White, MBE, there is so much about Jimmy that makes the six times World Championship runner up; affectionately called the Peo-ples Champion. Jimmy was the youngest ever winner of the UK Amateur Championship, in 1980 at the age of 18, in that year he also became professional.

Before all that, Jimmy was born in Tooting, London in 1962. His dad Tom was part of a social club near where he lived and this is where he started his career. At the age of 14 Alex Higgins came to the club to play an exhibition match, and every minute a young Jimmy spent watch-ing Higgins he fell more in love with snooker.

Com’ on Jimmy!

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It wasn’t until 1990 that Jimmy got his revenge on Steve Davis, with a 14-16 victory in the semi finals but this did not lead him to the winning post. He was beat-en in the final 12-18 by Stephen Hendry. He did however man-age to gain victory over Hendry, as White defended his title in the World Matchplay title in the same year and later in the classic which saw a win of 10-4 in 1991. ‘He was the most exciting player of the 80s and a true friend. He has a great heart and everyone could see that, and still can.’ Kirk Ste-vens added.

The 1992 World Championships saw White drawn again against Tony Drago, after a 8-4 opening lead, Jimmy made history by be-ing the second person to make a maximum 147 break in the World Championships, he won £100,000; after the maximum he looked strong throughout the rest of the tournament, beating Alain Robiduex, Jim Wych and Alan McManus to make the fi-nals again, again he met Stephen Hendry in the final.

Once again his win was robbed from him as Hendry lifted the tro-phy with an 18-14 victory.

Snooker has always been Jimmy’s first love but he also has a pas-sion for pool and poker. Jimmy played in and won the Mosconi Cup in 1996 and beat Steve Da-vis at a Poker Millions event in 2003, if you enjoy playing poker you can book Jimmy to come and play along, but make sure you’re good as Jimmy has a talent for this as well!

In 2009 Jimmy took part in the television show ‘I’m a Celebrity get me out of here!’

There was a lot of backlash from the show as Jimmy fans called ‘foul’ on how unfairly edited the show was. Other contestants in the show regularly commented how sweet and funny he was, but show produces never appeared to show that on TV.

Although Jimmy was a firm fa-vourite to win the show, his lack of TV time meant the Italian chef and ladies favourite Gino D’Acampo eventually won.

Now at an older age Jimmy is World Seniors Champion a World title has finally been placed upon White and it really doesn’t matter that it’s the senior’s version.

Jimmy is also a business man as well as a snooker player; he is director of Trump Technologies with Jamie Trump (Judd’s uncle). Jimmy endorses the low energy automatic doors which stands the name ‘Whirlwind Sprint’, a new era in the company and for Jimmy.

Jamie said; ‘Jimmy has always been a hero of mine. I just loved his passion and honesty; he was different from the rest. I am hon-oured now to be in business with Jimmy and to actually say, he is a good friend, is an awesome feel-ing.’

Jimmy is all that his friends have said and possibly even more. He is a family man, fantastic snooker player, business man; a huge support to those in need and a man who has an amazing collection of the most amazing shoes you have ever laid eyes on.

Chris Haill, owner of Snookered magazine said; ‘Jimmy has been my hero since the 80’s. He never moans, loves the game, enjoys life and has helped with the develop-ment of Snookered magazine. I just wish he won just one World title!’

He has done so much for snooker and continues to do so; he firmly believes that snooker should be given a place in the Olympics games as it has one in the Asian games. Outlining that Snooker is a game of mental and physical ability. This fact has sadly been over looked by London 2012 organisers, but Jimmy will continue to spread the love of the sport.

How best could you finish up a story on the Whirlwind? But by a quote from Kevin J Kelly, who has been a good friend of Jimmy’s for over 25years.

‘When you get a call at 7am to go and practise that sums it up for me!’

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BEST OF THE BEST

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The BAPTO National Team Trophy kicked off its 35th annual Pool Championship weekend on Friday 9th Sep with 81 registered teams and over 550 players.

BAPTO is the UK’s longest stand-ing pool championship having first started in 1977 and is firmly aimed at the grass roots players that com-pete and enjoy their pool to Black-ball Rules in pubs and clubs across the UK.

The competition uses 32 SAM At-lantic pool tables covered in Hains-worth Match cloth to give the best possible tournament playing condi-tions. This year saw the introduc-tion of the new Aramith Super Pro tournament balls, which were well received by the players and added to their enjoyment.

Most competitors arrive at Lyons Robin Hood Holiday Park in Rhyl on the Thursday afternoon, with much pool played before the official com-petition starts.

Sunday hosted the finals matches for all events, with a presentation and prize ceremony in the after-noon.

‘The Normans’ from Bury, repre-senting Leisuretime Automatics were crowned team champions af-ter fighting their way to the top and beating Cherry Automatics spon-sored team ‘Fingers & 4 Thumbs’ from Wisbech 6 – 4 in an exciting finale match.

Tablesport’s ‘Team Europe’ from Leicester claimed the team plate after hammering Sceptre Leisure’s ‘Pot-o-holics’ from Powys 6 – 3 in their finals match.

Men’s champion is Blackball new-comer Recaf’s ‘Shane Thompson’ (Bristol) who stormed to victory, beating Bar Billiards Sammy Don-aldson (Oxfordshire) 4 – 1. Shane showed a superb performance throughout the Men’s tournament and promises to come back in 2012 to retain his title.

Cherry Automatics Shona Lucas (Wisbech) confidently retained her title as BAPTO Ladies Champion for a second year in a row after defeating the 2007 Ladies Champi-on, Amanda Watson (Basingstoke) 3 – 0. Shona Lucas also went on the win the mixed doubles charity trophy with husband Andy Lucas in a much closer match that narrowly beat David Atherley & Kerry Grif-fiths 3 -2.

Each year since BAPTO moved to Rhyl, Lyons Robin Hood have im-proved the camp facilities and this year a newly built sports bar with nightly entertainment has proved popular with the players. New for the event has been a 14:1 competi-tion with funds raised donated to this year’s chosen charity, Help for Heroes; combined with a tombola and the mixed doubles charity event, BAPTO players raised a gen-erous and commendable £1189 for our country’s patriotic cause!

For more information on BAPTO go to http://www.bapto.org.uk/

THe normAns Conquer!

BAPTO

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Marcel Eckardt might not be a name you are familiar with, in snooker. 21 year old Marcel is part of the new breed of referees.

“This interview is the first I have done; I am a little bit excited.” At 21 Mar-cel describes himself as organised, helpful and friendly all good qualities needed to be a referee.

How did the German born ref get into snooker?

“I was 13 I think, I watched it on telly and found it interesting. I never got the chance to play snooker growing up as there were no tables near where I lived. Snooker and Pool aren’t popular in my region but I want to do my best to change that.

“I love to play but you can’t be a player and a referee, so I decided to play pool. I started at 19, far too late to reach the top level, but I’m not too bad at it. It helps me to improve my skills as a referee.”

Snooker is seeing a change, with new players and recently a large intake of young referee’s, what interests young people in the game?

“I think snooker is the perfect alternative for young people. Not everyone follows the crowd and favours team sports. Skills like concentration, tactics and mental strength are important for snooker.”

“Refereeing the final on PHC was exciting but, I had spent the day before feeling really ill, I felt confident and very proud to be given the opportunity. I would next like to referee the World Championship final, that’s the dream.”

Referee’s in all sports face a lot of stick from fans, but it seems snooker fans are more respectful.

“Snooker referees are doing a good job. You don’t see a lot of mistakes being made. In my opinion that’s the dif-ference. On the other side I wouldn’t expect respect for doing a bad job.”

We look forward to following Marcel’s career.

THe FuTure in CuesPorTs

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EXCLUSIVE

Jimmy White

Nickname: The Whirlwind

DOB: May 2nd 1962

Lives: Surrey

Ranking Victories: 10

Ranking Finals: 23

Non Ranking Victories: 19

Highest Break: 147

JIMMYWHIRLWINDWHITEM.B.E.

jimmywhirlwindwhite.com

The most popular player in the game, who took over AlexHiggins' mantle as the peoples champion. And how hissupporters would love to see him capture another majortitle. Notably the World Championship. He's been runnerup six times at the Crucible but firmly believes he is capableof holding the cup aloft.

Jimmy may be one of the games elder statesmen, butshowed with his recent victory at the Samsung 6 Redtournament in Bangkok in 2009, that he is still one of thesports leading players and personalities.

His many celebrity fans include Rolling Stones guitaristRonnie Wood, John Terry, Gino D'Campo, George Hamilton& Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliot. Jimmy also reached the final of "ImA Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here in 2009.

Championship winner and snooker legendJimmy "Whirlwind" White, is available for:

• Personal Appearances• Exhibitions• Product Endorsement• Poker Nights/Events

• Pro/Celebrity Golf• Opening Events• Pool Events etc• Q&A Dinners

For further information, contact Jimmy's Personal Assistant:John Callaghan: john@jimmywhirlwindwhite.comTel: 07957 147 147 or 07801 147 147

facebook.com/jimmywhite147

twitter.com/jimmywhite147

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Some of the former professional players hoping to qualify for the main event include former UK Champion Doug Mountjoy, former Hong Kong Open champion and EuroSport commentator Mike Hal-lett and even the Silver Fox, David Taylor.

Changes to this year’s event in-clude; all players will be aged over 45 which is a change from last year’s event which was for over 40’s. All matches will be the best of three frames with a 30-second shot clock to keep the players on their toes.

The last 16 will take place on Sat-urday November 5th and the quar-ter-finals, semi-finals and the final on Sunday November 6th, with the winner to take the top prize of £18,000 which is part of total prize money of £53,000. Not bad for winning 12 frames of Snooker!

The random draw for the first round took place a few weeks ago and it brought about a few intriguing ties, these include;

The defending champion Jimmy White taking on former world no.2 and ladies favourite Tony Knowles who recently attempted to get back on the main tour through Q School but failed to make the grade. Sure-ly he must fancy his chances against the Whirlwind in this best of 3 for-mat.

The 1991 world champion John Parrott takes on Joe Johnson who helped bring about the event in his home town of Bradford last year. Both players have been busy re-cently with John taking a starring role in the Snooker Legends tour and Joe is a regular commentator for EuroSport and a Twitter favour-ite.

Arguably the most intriguing clash of the first round has to be between two of the best Canadian’s to grace the modern game; Cliff Thorburn and Alain Robidoux(INSERT). Cliff has been keeping his game going recently by playing in the Snooker Legends tour but Alain hasn’t been seen much in the past few years. Will the 1980 world champion sweep him under the rug in Peterborough?

The top tie of the first round pits two current professionals against each other, the six-time world champion and the oldest player on the tour Steve Davis and the fastest player on the circuit, the Tornado; Tony Drago. Both players might not be contesting the big events any more but they are still ranked amongst the top 64 players in the world and recently Steve Davis reached the semi-finals of the sixth Player’s Tour Championship event so it will be a tough one to call.

The other first round ties are; New Zealand’s top pro Dene O’Kane v former world no 3 and BBC pundit Neal Foulds and the Sky Shoot-out champion Nigel Bond takes on the 1985 world champion Dennis Taylor.

As the event is a random draw from the quarter-finals onwards it is hard to predict a winner as all the pros could be drawn together early on and in best of 3 matches, any one of the players has a chance to take the title. But you would have to favour Jimmy White, Steve Davis or Tony Drago to come through as they are all still match sharp from being on the professional tour.

Tickets for the World Seniors Championship are on sale now. See http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets or call 0871 620 7052 for a chance to see some of the legends of the game up close in Peterborough.

After the success of last year’s event in Bradford won by crowd favourite Jimmy White who beat Steve Davis 4-1 in the final, the World Seniors Championship is making a return this year at the East of England Showground in Peterborough.

THe BoYs Are BACK in Town!

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SENIORS

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Players appear circumstances permittingCalls cost 10p per minute from a BT landline plus network charges.

27-29 JANUARY CIRCUS ARENA, THE BLACKPOOL TOWERCIRCUS ARENA, THE BLACKPOOL TOWER

64 PLAYERS, 1 FRAME, 10 MINUTES, 20 SECONDS

THE CLOCK IS TICKING...

Players appear circumstances permitting

TO BOOK CALL 0871 620 7052

VISIT WWW.WORLDSNOOKER.COM/TICKETS

THE CLOCK IS TICKING...

TO BOOK CALL 0871 620 7052SNOOKER, BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT!

0091_WS_ShootOut A4 Ad.indd 1 3/10/11 14:10:55

As India’s sole representative on the World Snooker Tour, Aditya Mehta has done his country proud with some excellent results this season, and hopes to make it a pro-longed stay on the main circuit.

Star Of India Begins To Shine

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WORLD SNOOKER

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Aramith suppl ies spec i f ic snooker ba l l sets to the Wor ld Snooker profess ional p layers Asso-c ia t ion (W.S.A.) for more than 40 years .

These sets are qui te spec ia l : whi le the i r packag-ing and des ign make them look pret ty l ike the regular Aramith Tournament Champion snooker sets , they are in fact drast ica l ly d i f ferent and a l low the W.S.A. profess ional p layers to reach the h ighest scores dur ing the W.S.A. compet i -t ions.

The main character is t ic of th is set is the maxi-mum weight to lerance a l lowed : whi le the maxi-mum weight d i f ference between ba l ls in a regu-lar Aramith Tournament Champion snooker set (or a Super Crysta la te snooker set) is 3 grams (of f ic ia l spec i f icat ions) , the maximum weight to lerance of our spec ia l W.S.A. set is only 1 gram .

This set is now a lso suppl ied to the I .B.S.F. ( Internat ional B i l l iard and Snooker Federat ion) represent ing the amateur p layers wor ldwide and is the of f ic ia l set for a l l I .B .S.F. tourna-ments. Dur ing the last Wor ld Cup organised in Damascus in December 2010, Rodney Goggins made a score of 147 wi th i t .

Now th is spec i f ic and exc lus ive set is ava i lab le to the genera l publ ic under the name “Aramith Tournament Champion Super Pro 1G”. I t is sup-pl ied in an e legant and sturdy Aluminum bal l case wi th the W.S.A. and I .B.S.F. logos.

1G can make all the difference

ARAMITH TOURNAMENT CHAMPION SUPER PRO 1G

The 25-year-old may be nearly 5,000 miles away from his home in Mumbai, but he has become fa-miliar with the surroundings of his Sheffield base and is enjoying life in the snooker city.

“I’ve lived in England for a few years now and it doesn’t bother me being far away from India,” said the likeable Mehta in impeccable Eng-lish. “I lived in London last year and now I’m back in Sheffield, which is a great city. I was supposed to share a flat with Lucky Vatnani but he’s had some visa issues so I’m on my own. But I’m always playing snooker and learning from the guys I practise with.”

Mehta is based at the Star Acad-emy where his sparring partners include Ding Junhui, Tian Pengfei, James Wattana, Passakorn Suwan-nwat and Dechewat Poomjaeng. Inevitably his game has improved, and that is reflected in his perfor-mances so far this term.

In the Shanghai Masters qualifiers he knocked out Stuart Carrington (5-0), Rod Lawler (5-4) and Jamie Jones (5-4) to reach the last 48 of a ranking event for the first time, though he was denied a trip to Chi-na by a 5-2 defeat to Ryan Day.

Mehta then beat Day 4-1 in the Paul Hunter Classic, and saw off Si-mon Bedford 4-0 before losing 4-3

to Joe Jogia in the last 32.Perhaps his best result was a 4-0 whitewash of Ali Carter in the first round of PTC5, and he came close to anoth-er top-eight scalp but lost 4-3 to Neil Robertson.

“Ali was not at his best, but I still had to win the frames and he is the highest ranked player I’ve beaten,” said Mehta. “I actually played bet-ter against Neil and had chances to beat him. I came from 3-1 down to 3-3 and had the first chance in the decider but missed a tricky blue to the middle on around 20. May-be I got a bit over-excited, which is down to a lack of experience of beating the top players.

“I didn’t make a great start to the season, but since then I have turned it around. I was really pleased with my run in the Shanghai qualifiers, especially as I won a couple of games from 3-1 or 4-2 down. That gave me the confidence to make comebacks because I’d not made many in my career before. I’ve lost a few close matches and if I had won those I could have been a lot higher.”

He’s currently ranked 83rd and hopes to win enough matches to keep his place on the tour. “I’ve got a decent chance, though the competition among the bottom 32 players on the tour is fierce,” said Mehta. “It would be amazing

to keep my place, though I’m not thinking that far ahead.”

Mehta was first introduced to snooker at the age of 12, when his father, a keen player, took him to a local club. He quickly showed a nat-ural flair for the game, and when he won a junior tournament at the age of 15 his father decided to send him to the UK to improve his game.

He first qualified for the pro tour in 2008/09, but only won a hand-ful of matches during the season. Over the next two years he com-peted on the PIOS tour and in PTC events, then reached the final of the Asian Championship last May, and though he lost 6-2 to Passa-korn, he was nominated for a re-turn to the main circuit.

“My first year on the tour in 2008/09 was more of a learning ex-perience and I feel I am much bet-ter prepared for it now,” said Me-hta. “I’ve learned a lot from being here for a few years and seeing the work ethic of some of the players at the Academy.”

Mehta, who partnered Pankaj Ad-vani at the World Cup in Thailand last summer, believes that the pop-ularity of snooker is growing in In-dia. “It has definitely picked up in recent years, and if we could have a ranking event there it would be a huge boost,” he said. “There is passion for snooker in India and people know what a beautiful game it is, plus it is shown more on TV now. I would like to see more players coming to the UK but it is difficult from a financial perspec-tive. You need support and backing but that’s hard to find until you get higher up the rankings.”

If things don’t work out for Mehta on the green baize, he has a sound education to fall back on. He is in the middle of a business adminis-tration degree and takes exams whenever he goes back to India. But for now, it’s his snooker test which he intends to pass with flying colours.

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12 tons on 14 wheels on their way through europe

miha Vovko

A look behind the curtains of the Euro-Tour“We are only talking about a billiard tournament here, right?” Whenever a participant arrives at the venue of a Euro-Tour, a European Champion-ship or several other international events in Eu-rope that is organised by the EPBF, he can see the same arena: a truss system, up to 12x8m wide, 3,5 m high with a lot of equipment hang-ing on and standing around it, being surrounded by a digital panel system.

Several people can be seen buzzing around the arena, giving the showground its final finish. Screws are tightened, bolts are fixed, cameras and micro-phones are checked and adjusted. A small crew of highly qualified team members operates like clock-work in order to make ends meet. Only a few peo-ple know the logistic masterpiece that is behind this setup.

Normally, the truck with the equipment and the first crew members arrives on a Sunday if the event starts on a Thursday. Two to three days are needed to set the arena up. 12 tons of equipment is travel-ling about 28.000 km annually through Europe in a huge lorry with 14 wheels.

The total value of the equipment is around 140,000(€). And that does not include the pool ta-bles. They are brought to the different tournament sites by the sponsor or the local organiser.

When the lorry is unloaded, normally all the equip-ment is put into the venue first and things start to get built up according the plan. The truss system is

one of the first items to be installed since it can be seen as the “spine” of the arena.

The inside playing showground is surrounded by 18 LCD TV’s that make up the digital panel where the sponsor’s logos are displayed in a professional fashion. Three additional flat screen TV’s are added to the truss’ bars as scoreboards for the spectator’s convenience.

Since the events are streamed live on the internet, four HD cameras and one pocket cam are installed in the arena to achieve the best coverage possible. A commentator’s box with a professional mixer and cutting unit is set up next to the arena.Depending on how many tables are used for the tournament, a total of 40 laptops are utilized for the IT-database that the tournament is run with.

Whenever a player presses a button on a laptop in the tournament venue in order to make the lap-top display the correct result, this information goes into the database system on the EPBF website and is at the same time displayed on the internet.

Rankings, player information and tournament info is processed in the wink of an eye. This data system has been researched and developed over about 15 years now and is constantly improved.

Many hours of programming as well as the expe-rience of several hundreds of tournaments have flown into the tournament program, making it unique in the World of pool/billiard.

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EXCLUSIVE

Anamaria matesic David morris

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The logistics for the IT-support is almost invisible but nevertheless considerably extensive. Up to 10 km of internet cables, 25 km of pow-er cables, 10 internet routers with 15 internet switches and hubs as well as 5 km of VGA-cables are serving in order to achieve the goal: the best promotion and presentation of a pool billiard event possible. During one year, 20,000 tie wraps are used to fix all the cables and the 130 national and federation flags to the arena. Six theatre spotlights and 20 Par16-spots are used in order to present the tournament in the proper light.

The other tables in the event venue are also partly live streamed on the internet by up to 20 DVD camcorders. Results and scoring infor-mation on site is displayed via four beamers on different screens in the lobby. This information is directly connected to the IT-data system and updated every five seconds. The gallery where pictures of the participants are displayed is equipped with a selection of the best of about 15,000 pictures that are taken annually during the events.

Once the event has started, the team members assume their various “tournament tasks”. The tournament desk is always manned with up to two tournament leaders; one IT-technician is either on site or at his computer at home, supervising the program; an event photographer is taking pictures of everything that is happening on and next to the tables.

A commentator is accompanying the matches while the technician helps with all the electric and equipment; referees are watching the tables and are always there to support and help the players with any questions there might arise. A press officer is doing his best in order to make all this known to as many people around the planet as pos-sible.

Yes, we are only talking about a pool/billiard tournament here!

EXCLUSIVE

gre Leenders Ted meijerThomas overbeck

marco Takis

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South African Blackball’s selec-tion process for the National team is somewhat different to other countries in that it is au-tomated rather than selected.

In whatever category you play in, every player starts off with an equal opportunity by playing in the standard Blackball Interna-tional 5 person format, where each player plays the other play-er 1 frame for the tournament, which is basicallya round-robin play off setup in a team format.

Quite simply, once the team event is finished, the top 5 players in the individual rankings are selected for National team to represent our na-tion at the Worlds.

This has bode well in the past, and while our men’s team is yet to win the team event, they always have seeds in the top 10, as I believe they are used to the pressure in the format they know so well.

The selection process I briefly cov-ered is emulated at all levels in our country, from district level, which is your local league level, up to pro-vincial level which is also known as counties in other countries, up to the National as described before.

The big positive about this is that you play yourself into teams at each level, and don’t have to de-pend on any selection committee, which at times can be debated as to whether or not the correct play-ers are being selected anyways.

My article this month is a short one as I asked our National Blackball President, Mr Saths Reddy to sub-mit a tribute to Peter Hawley, who unexpectedly passed away earlier this month.

Those of you who knew him can attribute to what a dedicated per-son Peter was to both the cuesport world, not to mention the human race.

Peter William Hawley, a vision-ary who conducted all his affairs with such passion. He was one of the most diligent sports admin-istrators I have had the pleasure of working with. Peter was thor-oughly committed to making a difference in the world amidst his busy schedule. His dedication and untiring efforts to improve the lives of those around him is most admirable indeed. He cer-tainly was the kind of personality that anyone would be proud to emulate.

Peter Hawley was the President of the South African Pool Union (SAPU). His visionary approach had enabled South African pool players to become legitimate participants in the International Cue Sport are-na. After a thorough investigation, he had realised that the only way South Africa could be correctly affiliated to the World Pool struc-tures was through a Continental Pool Body.

Hence he became a founder mem-ber and President of the All Africa Pool Association (AAPA). He then went on to become the President of the recently formed African Con-

federation of Cue Sport (ACCS).

It was largely through his dedica-tion and untiring efforts that pool players in South Africa are now able to obtain their National Col-ours and represent their country legitimately at Continental and In-ternational Championships.

Peter Hawley’s contribution to-wards the development and pro-motion of the sport of pool, and Blackball in particular, is immeasur-able. However, his dedication and commitment to the sport of pool in South Africa and Africa did not go unnoticed.

Little wonder in 2010 he was elect-ed to the position of Vice Presi-dent of the World Pool Association (WPA), the controlling body of all disciplines of pool at world level. He then went on to become an Executive Member of the World Confederation of Billiard Sports (WCBS).

Apart from his duties as a business-man and a sports administrator, Peter was very passionate about the recent sport/community/en-vironment project that he was in-

volved in.

He was the founder member and manager of the “Let the River Flow” project which involved clean-ing of the contaminated Wilge Riv-er to provide clean water for the residents of Mafube (Frankfort)) in the Free State.

Being the prudent man he was, he even cut up the logs which he had removed from the river so that res-idents from the surrounding town-ship could transport the firewood easily.

As a result of this project, Peter had earned the 2010 pmr.africa Diamond Arrow Award for Leaders and Achievers and an area over-looking the Wilge River has named “Peter Hawley Water Park”.

Peter Hawley’s death is a loss not only to the sporting world, but also to humanity in general. He will always be remembered for his contribution in trying to make the world a better place to live in.

May his soul rest in peace.

In just a couple weeks our national tournament that I described in the last issue will begin.

Every second year the players know that they need to up their game more than the previous, due to World Blackball-Pool Championships taking place the follow-ing year.

Tribute to Peter Hawley

south Africa’s Automated selection

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OUT OF AFRICABy Rick Schoenlankwww.cuesportfever.com

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An extraordinary gathering of amazing talent, extreme beauty, and incredible intelligence is re-sulting in a revolutionary trans-formation in the billiard world. The women of Rack Starz are the hottest thing to happen to pool since...well, nothing… The Rack Starz are a group of 12 brilliant and beautiful women poised to reinvent the game of pool, bring it into the mainstream and create a sensation that will captivate the country and the world. The Rack Starz are not only athletes, but they are also moms, models, actresses, nutritionists, CEOs, and marketing analysts, with many holding advanced de-grees. Among these women, more than 15 languages are spoken rep-resenting a multitude of cultures making the Rack Starz true ambas-sadors to the billiards world. “Jackie Gleason got your atten-tion; Paul Newman and Tom Cruise made pool cool, but the Rack Starz are ready to make pool bigger than the WWF and larger than life. Lying ahead is a once in-a-life-time phenomenon so incredible and dynamic, you won’t want to miss it.” explains co-founder Robert Moore. “The Licensing, Reality Tel-evision, and International Market-ing potential will make this a brand recognized around the world. There is nothing hotter than a sexy woman bending over a pool table to take a shot, but the women of Rack Starz can crank up the tem-perature to a steady boil.” contin-ues Moore.

The Rack Starz popularity and fan base have helped make women’s billiards more popular than men’s thus creating a surge of interest in pool for girls and young women who are taking up the sport in re-cord numbers.

These athletes are already being sought out for television and per-sonal appearances, and are quickly becoming a household name. The Rack Starz have created an insa-tiable desire for more with their “Shoot to Thrill, Play to Kill” ap-proach. Animals Behind the Eight-Ball The women of Rack Starz came together because of their love of pool. They are major players in the competitive pool arena, but they are also major players when it comes to raising money to a cause close to their hearts.

The founders of Rack Starz have developed a project called Animals Behind the Eight-Ball, working closely with numerous foundations and organizations around the country that support animal protection. A portion of the proceeds from all Rack Starz merchandise will be dedicated to helping this well-deserved cause. Be a part of Rack Starz

If you are interested in receiving further information on Rack Starz or would like to be involved, we would love to hear from you.

• Reality Television Pitch Ideas• Live & Phoner Interviews Available• On-Air, Online & Print Pub-licity• Charity Events & Personal Appearances

when you think of pool... do you think of talented, intelligent, sexy women?

Mark Griffin and CueSports In-ternational (CSI) announce two major changes for the BCAPL Na-tional Championships. In 2013, the “Greatest Pool Tournament in the World” will move from May to July … and will walk the welcome mat at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The BCAPL National Champion-ships have outgrown the space at the Riviera Hotel & Casino. The 2012 (36th) BCAPL National Championships, scheduled May 9-20, 2012, will be the last year the event will be held at the Riviera. CSI thanks the Riviera for hosting the championships for the past 18 years. The relocation to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino is scheduled for July 17-27, 2013. The move will al-low the BCAPL to expand both the amateur nationals and the CSI pro-fessional tournaments. The date and venue changes will provide more accommodations and more pool tables, so that more players, families, and friends can enjoy an even richer experience at the new venue. CSI thanks the 1,400 BCAPL mem-bers who responded to our player survey at the 2011 nationals for their help in making decisions for the future of the championships. The July dates are generally bet-ter for all: participants, families and employers, local leagues, host locations, and League Operators. Starting in 2013, local BCA Pool Leagues can play longer spring sessions – all the way to the end of May. BCAPL players and teams will be able to play in more state and regional tournaments dur-ing the spring, and still be able to travel to nationals.

A longer spring session allows more time for players to qualify for nationals. It also gives play-ers, teams, League Operators, and BCAPL more time to enter and certify national entries. And lastly, many of our survey respondents said that July is much better than May for time away from work and home, especially for those who have school age children. This move is long overdue, and we again thank the players who par-ticipated in our survey.

The Rio is part of the Caesars En-tertainment Corporation – the world’s largest casino entertain-ment group. With its state-of-the-art conference center of over 160,000 square feet, the atmos-phere is elegant, modern and hi-tech – a player’s dream! For player comfort and convenience, the Rio is a 4-star all-suite hotel and casino offering extensive amenities and entertainment options. Providing spectacular views of Las Vegas, the hotel boasts over 2,500 suites with more than 600 square feet of spacious luxury. When it comes to dining, the Rio is unparalleled. According to USA Today Travel 2011 report, the Rio’s Carnival World Buffet and the fa-mous 5 star Village Seafood Buffet are ranked #2 and #3 in the top 5 buffets in Las Vegas. Additionally, the Rio offers 12 more dining op-tions from the casual to the opu-lent. You name it … the 24-hour $45 “Buffet of Buffets” pass to 7 of the best buffets available anywhere; a 48-hour “All-Stage Pass” to about 20 shows at Caesars properties; the industry leading “Total Re-wards” player program by Caesars Entertainment; the free Rio/Paris/Harrahs shuttle service to two key

spots on the strip; VooDoo Beach with real sand beaches, cascading waterfalls, four swimming pools and five Jacuzzi-style spas; Voo-Doo Rooftop Nightclub, an in-door/outdoor double-decker club known to have the best view of the Las Vegas strip … You name it, the Rio has it all. For complete in-formation on the BCAPL National Championships at the Rio on July 17-27, 2013 … www.playbca.com To visit the official web site for the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino … www.riolasvegas.com Since 2004, Mark Griffin and his team at Cue-Sports International (CSI) have dili-gently pursued “More Choices for All Players.” During that time, CSI has directly paid out approximate-ly Seven Million Dollars to pool players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces in-dependent events such as the US Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial, the US Open One Pocket Championship and the US Open 10-Ball Champion-ship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playu-sapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.

BCAPL moves national Championships to the rio Las Vegas

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THE 2011 USA MOSCONI CUP POINTS RACE FOR TOP SPOT DECIDED AS SHANE VAN BOEN-ING WINS THE SEMINOLE STEVE MIZERAK CHAMPIONSHIP IN FLORIDA 8 - 11 SEPTEMBER 2011 By the end of the Steve Mizerak Seminole event in Florida, not only did Shane Van Boening(PIC RIGHT) win the title, but the South Dakota Kid also secured his spot on this years USA Mosconi Cup Team with a points total of 627.5. Looking to have the No 2 spot locked up is Mike Dechainewith 541.5 points. This will be Mike’s first time making an appearance on the Mosconi Cup being held this year at the MGM Grande in Las Vegas in December 2011. In third spot with 455.5 points is Johnny Archer, who has clawed his way up the rankings and has put himself in a position to repre-sent the USA Team for a 15thcon-secutive year. If Mika Immonen (Fin) makes the European side this year he will also be making his 15th ap-pearance. In 4th and 5th places are Shawn Putnam and Rodney Morriswith 435.5 and 427.5 points respectively. Then we have, breathing down their necks, Corey Deuel and Dennis Hatch(MVP in his first appearance in 2009 on home soil) with 406.5 and 365 points. In 8th place in the points is Hunter Lombardo with 354.5 points, who like good wine, is maturing with age and has made giant steps in the points race over the last few rank-ing events.

Now with only one event left in the race to secure a spot on the five man USA Mosconi Cup Team, all eyes will be on the US Open to be held in Chesapeake, VA 16 - 22 Oc-tober 2011.

Other than Van Boening and De-chaine, who look to have their plac-es on the team in the bag, all of the other front runners are vying to win this prestigious event.

As no one in the top ten in the points can rest on their laurels, es-pecially as the top three in the rank-ings are secure, but the last two spots will be Matchroom Sports wild card picks in conjunction with ranking positions. Be assured that quite a few play-ers will be awaiting the final team announcement with baited breath, and there will be some surprises as well I am sure. Will fan favorites Rodney Morris and Dennis Hatch make the team again this year? Be assured they will be battling as if their lives depended on it! This is going to be one of the most exciting US Opens for a long time, especially as the European contin-gent are in exactly the same boat, and are coming over to the US Open in droves, all after those tempting Mosconi Cup points.

Last year the winner of the US Open (whether from the USA or Europe) received an automatic spot on the Mosconi Cup team.

This year the winner receives rank-ing points only. As you will recall, Darren Appletonalmost had a heart attack when he beat Corey Deuel in the final last year. Believe me this year it is going to a very memorable final as well, and as usual it will all come to down to the last ranking event of the year. Un-fortunately the outcome will make and break the hearts of many a player in the hunt for their Mosconi Cup Dream.

USA TEAM RANKINGS 1. Shane Van Boening 627.52. Mike Dechaine 541.53. Johnny Archer 455.54. Shawn Putnam 435.55. Rodney Morris 427.56. Corey Deuel 406.57. Dennis Hatch 3658. Hunter Lombardo 354.59. Mike Davis 344.510. Charlie Williams 333.511. Earl Strickland 321.512. Stevie Moore 315.513. Jeremy Sossei 250.514. Oscar Dominguez 232.515. Brandon Shuff 226.5

mosconi Points race on High

Heat!

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ADVERTORIAL

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D

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POKER

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Open Singlesentry fees (Residents) 30€ (ladies 20€)entry fees (Non Residents) 60€ (ladies 40€)Prize Money Guaranteed 7.000€

Ladies Singlesentry fees (Residents) 20€entry fees (Non Residents) 40€Prize Money Guaranteed 1.600€

3 person teamentry fees (Residents) 30€ (10€ each)entry fees (Non Residents) 60€ (20€ each)Prize Money Guaranteed 2.400€

Seniors (over 45)entry fees (Residents) 20€entry fees (Non Residents) 40€Prize Money Guaranteed 1.600€

Under 23’sentry fees (Residents) 20€entry fees (Non Residents) 40€Prize Money Guaranteed 400€

Mixed doublesentry fees (Residents) 20€ (10€ each)entry fees (Non Residents) 40€ (20€ each)Prize Money Guaranteed 1.000€

Cabbagesentry fees (Residents) free*entry fees (Non Residents) not allowedPrize Money Guaranteed 1.000€

"I’m really looking forward

to coming to Catalonia this year, missed it

last year because of work but have

pushed every-thing else aside as my husband informed me how great this week is, can’t wait to see my

friends from the Pool world."

Michaela Tabb

Dates will be from Mon 17th - Fri 21st Oct

We have secured a great deal with the 2 nearest hotels to the

venue.

Anyone staying in these hotels will pay 50% less on all entry

fees into the main events.

Other comps may be added (100 Euro per person). There will be flyers run everyday.

The Cabbages competition is the last event and exclusive only to players who have not

received any prize money in the main events.

Hurry, Book Now!

Visit our website for further details and booking facilities. PTC Ireland on British Eurosport

Fri 21 Oct1400-2130 LIVE on British Eurosport 21400-1700 LIVE on Eurosport HD1800-2130 LIVE on Eurosport HD

Sat 22 Oct1430-2130 LIVE on Eurosport HD1800-2130 LIVE on British Eurosport 2

Sun 23 Oct1130-1500 LIVE on British Eurosport 21700-1800 LIVE on British Eurosport 21245-1500 LIVE on Eurosport HD1600-1800 LIVE on Eurosport HD2000-2200 LIVE on British Eurosport & Eurosport HD PTC Ireland on Eurosport International (times in CET)

Fri 21 Oct0930-1500 LIVE on Eurosport 21800-1900 LIVE on Eurosport 21500-1800 LIVE on Eurosport & Eurosport HD1900-2230 LIVE on Eurosport & Eurosport HD

Sat 22 Oct1030-1245 LIVE on Eurosport 21330-1530 LIVE on Eurosport 21530-2230 LIVE on Eurosport & Eurosport HD

Sun 23 Oct1100-1345 LIVE on Eurosport 21345-1600 LIVE on Eurosport & Eurosport HD1700-1900 LIVE on Eurosport & Eurosport HD2100-2300 LIVE on Eurosport & Eurosport HD Additional live coverage and VOD available online via Eurosport Player: www.eurosportplayer.com

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British Eurosport is on Sky 410 & Virgin Media 521. British Eurosport 2 is on Sky 411 & Virgin Media

525. Eurosport HD is on Sky 412

& Virgin Media 522.

Additional live multi-table coverage and video on

demand available online via the Eurosport Player:

www.eurosportplayer.co.uk

Please note that as a live sports broadcaster our

schedules are subject to change.

EUROSPORTS

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This month Michaela talks about her trips abroad, to Brazil and the Philippines and she also discusses her forthcoming app

Read on...

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POOL

We had two events out there this month so that was quite tricky as we usually only have one. We had the singles event to start with which is always a lovely and then we had the World Cup of Pool, which is a dou-bles event and harder to work and we didn’t have a break between the two events so it was tough but it was very rewarding as the crowds in the Philippines are always enthusiastic.

The events were held in Manila which is the capital city and around 16 million people live there, the traf-fic is mental most of the day. You are constantly in a battle with taxis and getting places, it’s probably simi-lar to living in London but because I am from a small town in Scotland it can get quite frustrating spending an hour a day minimum in taxis. It was made worse by the fact it was their rainy season as obviously when there are thunderstorms and the like everyone is travelling in their cars.

The crowds there are the best in the world. They are so enthusias-tic about pool and their own teams when they are playing. But they are so loud and excitable and it seri-ously is one of the best places in the world to have a pool event, no doubt about that.

I don’t think a Snooker event would work out there as I’m not sure if there is any interest there. You have to bear in mind that 9-ball pool is like their second most popular sport in the whole country and that’s why regardless there is always a huge crowd at these events.

BRAZIL

Brazil was a very tiring trip for me. When I came home from the Philip-pines it was a 17 hour journey and I ended up with only 4 hours back in my house from 12.30am to 4.30am. So I had only 2 hours sleep and then I had to catch the flight to Brazil and when I got there I was very tired so the day off I should have had I slept all day and I think I had slept for 15 hours throughout the day and night!

The resort where the event was held was lovely. If we were there in the summer it would have been abso-lutely amazing but we were there during their late winter/early spring season so when the sun wasn’t out it was quite cool.

I didn’t expect that as when you think of Brazil you think of beaches and getting a sun tan so that was quite a shock to the system!

They did a really good job for the arena where the matches were played and they had spent a lot of money on the marquee which had air conditioning or heating when re-quired which was perfect with the rapid changing of temperatures out-side.

Playing conditions were tough be-cause of that, the team did the best job with the tables as we could and it was the same with the two players on it.

But for the first time for us being out there as a country that is not used to putting on that kind of event they did really well and the players thor-oughly enjoyed their time there and you can’t ask for much more than that.

The crowds when they were there were actually very responsive. With the setup it was a shame as because all the VIP seats were around the table but because they hadn’t sold those tickets on the first couple of days it looked as if there was no one there even though the blocks at the back were full.

It is fine having VIP seats but if you can’t sell them you should encour-age people at the back to fill them up so it looks better on television.

When we had the local wildcards playing the crowds really got behind then and one example was when Graeme Dott missed a shot playing Brazilian Igor Figueiredo the crowd actually shouted in cheers.

NEXT FEW MONTHS

Things will be quiet for me in the next few months as there aren’t many events going on so I have de-cided to try and focus on myself for and get fit and get back in to shape. It’s hard trying to watch your weight when you away and eating hotel food and other stuff so I am back at the gym again and my goal is to lose a stone before Christmas!

My 10th year anniversary with being with World Snooker is the first week of October so I am quite looking for-ward to that as well.

MICHAELA’S APP

I also have an App coming out soon which will be out in the next month or so. Its primary use is as a scoring app. I spent some time in a studio doing all the voice recording of all the scores and the different an-nouncements I make so I can be your personal scorer at your table wherever you are.

It will also be able to keep all your match stats, so if you are playing in a league or with a friend so 4 weeks down the road you can look back to see who won, who made the highest break and other useful stats.

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH

Afterwards Graeme said to me “Did you hear that cheer when I missed? It was like the whole place had woken up!”

I was lucky enough to be chosen to referee the final and the atmos-phere was great. In the earlier matches the referee’s didn’t get introduced as there wasn’t that many people there so they didn’t think there was much point in it.

But for the final when I walked out they all started clapping and cheering and I was so ap-preciative of that because they appreciate what you are doing.

It was a shame that Graeme Dott didn’t get going in the final and put up more of a battle but you can’t take it away from Shaun Murphy, he was a machine.

He got the tournament high break in the final frame and it was a shame for Igor as he had set the high break earlier in the event, but it was a superb clear-ance from Shaun and you can’t take anything away from him.

I also got the chance to meet Bra-zil’s legendary player; Rui Cha-peau. They played a montage of him playing Steve Davis and Ste-phen Hendry many years ago and to get a chance to meet him was amazing. “We’ve added new products to the website –

please check out www.michaelatabb.com”

MEETMICHAELA

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WHAT‘S THE ODDS

Every month Snookered tipster David Wild teams up with betting exchange www.Betdaq.com to take a look at the best bets in snooker and other sport. In a

quiet month for top class sport he analyses the chances of the four English repre-sentatives in their Champions League fixtures...

Manchester City have the pick of the games and home advantage in the Champions League’s Matchday three, contested on the 18th and 19th October. Villareal visit the Etihad Stadium, hop-ing to snatch three points from the Champions League newbies, but they will undoubtedly strug-gle. City continue to look sharp in the Prem, and have too much class suffer defeat at home to La Liga mid-tablers. Back the hosts at around 2/5 on Betdaq. Neighbours Manchester United are also in action on Tuesday, but travel to far flung Romania to take on SC Otelul Galati. I wish I could tell you anything about the side but all you need to know is con-tained in their previous results: two losses from two, including a 1-0 loss to Benfica at the National

Arena, Bucharest last time. At 1/5, there’s not much to be made by backing United, but a Manchester City/United double pays around 4/6. Chelsea host Genk and Arsenal visit Marseille on Wednesday 19th October and while the Blues should easily overcome the Belgians at Stamford Bridge, they can’t be backed at 1/10. A 2-0 correct score, available at around 11/2 on Betdaq, is worth a shot. The side are yet to score in their two group match-es. Given their struggles domestically, Arsenal undoubtedly have the toughest task of the four home hopes on matchday three. As a club Marseille have plenty of experience at Europe’s top table, and the 60,000 capac-ity Stade Velodrome is never an easy place to go. Didier Deschamps has already led the side to a domestic league title and he will be confident of sending a weak Arse-nal packing without a point. Marseille to win this one at 7/5.

GOOD LUCK AND SEE YOU NEXT MONTH.

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DARTS

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FASHION

‘I didn’t know Alan Dugdale (THE TALL ONE)could spell!’ AD is a favourite of the Fashion pages in Snookered and here he is, with Chris K, Tommy D and friends win-ning the Under -16 spelling contest.

Look into my eyes, look into my eyes.....Johnny Archer (near left) doing his best to stare down the pho-tographer or doing a very good David Copperfield impression (the magician!)

Ronnie & Allison, 2 of the great-est players ever discussing what?

We think it’s a first date at the local snooker club!

Pat’ The Chat’ O’Kane (near left) moonlighting as a ventriloquist dummy or did he moonlight as a Pool player!

Les ‘Indiana Jones’ Pearce (right) presenting BW with the Holy Grail. Les made 3 films with Steven Spielberg to find this.

Snookered’s trawl through the picture archives has proved one of the magazine’s most popular features. Some images are easier to identify than others. But we are always happy to receive comments about the photos that may jog your memories.

This month Snookered magazine looks back at the fashion archives. We would like to thank Billy Whicher and Mary Kenniston for these’ Blasts from the past’

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This month PJ Nolan features three specific training routines to help you improve your training Sessions and an Academy booklet with mind sets of improving your focus.

You can watch Professional player Fergal O’Brien train-ing on each academy routine and can download each master-class series from www.147academy.com

For more information on The PJ Nolan Coaching Academy, contact PJ at pjcoach147@hotmail.com

PJ nolan irish national snooker Coach & eBsA senior snooker Coach

This Academy booklet gives you the crucial mind sets for training and com-petition to help you into

the winning circle

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COACHING

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